Apple again bolsters video ambitions with 'Little America' anthology about immigrants and their stories

Apple has signed another deal for video content, this time, an anthology series focusing on immigrants in the United States.

News of the deal with Apple broke on Deadline on Thursday afternoon. The series will be a half-hour anthology series chronicling the lives of recent immigrants to the United States.

The immigrants' stories in "Little America" will be culled from the real-life accounts from Epic Magazine. The source calls the stories selected for publication "a small, collective portrait of America's immigrants — and thereby a portrait of America itself."

Kumail Nanjiani of "Silicon Valley" and wife Emily V. Gordon, both wrote "The Big Sick" and will partner again to write the show. Epic Magazine editors Joshuah Bearman and Joshua Davis will serve as executive producers. The show will be developed by studio Uni TV.

Gordon and Nanjiani's "The Big Sick" was the highest grossing indie film of 2017. It also garnered a WGA Award nomination, and an Oscar nomination.

In 2017, Apple also reportedly provided a blank check to Drake for his own shows and movies, and signed a deal with "Star Trek" and "Battlestar Galactica" reboot alum Ronald D. Moore for a new space drama. It is also reportedly paying $5 million per episode on a ten-episode season of "Amazing Stories," a revival of the Amblin Television and NBCUniversal science fiction anthology.

Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine studio is linked to three projects tied to Apple. The first show is as of yet untitled, but features Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston in a drama based on morning show production.

The second show is development of Nichelle Tramble Spellman's "Are You Sleeping," with the "Serial" podcast creator onboard in an advisory role, and Octavia Spencer starring. The third is a sketch comedy show starring Kristen Wiig.

More recently, Apple signed a deal with "La La Land" writer and director Damien Chazelle.

These are all thought to be part of a broader $1 billion investment in original programming, which is considerable but still a lower investment than those of its competitors, such as Netflix's reported $7 billion on original content for 2018.